Knoxville Zoo

We went to the Knoxville Zoo yesterday since we are members at Chattanooga Zoo, we got in free. Unfortunately, they are changing that rule and after this trip we only get half price admission. Fallon really enjoyed seeing all the animals like she does at the Chattanooga Zoo.

She got to see some elephants, tigers, lions, monkeys, owls, and touch some goats. She didn't know what to think of touching the goats as they have different hair then Indigo, our cat does. The day was so cold, a lot colder then they had predicted weather wise. So yes, David's actually warming up on this rock and not posing for the picture. I just happened to be able to snap the photo.

We really enjoyed the Knoxville Zoo except for many of the exhibits were closed due to the cold. I imagine that they zoo is packed during the summer but we enjoyed being able to go through the zoo with no crowd.

Welcoming 2010

Well it's 2010.....

These are some things that I am thankful for from 2009:

1. My beautiful daughter arriving March 20th
2. My grandparents being able to come down and spend time with us after Fallon was born, and them getting a chance to visit Uncle Bud in Texas.
3. My wonderful husband and him becoming a fantastic dad.
4. My mom getting her life back on track
5. Being able to drive to Maine and visit my parents and letting Fallon meet her grandparents in Maine.
6. A wonderful support system from David's Parents
7. The love of a great family
8. Being healthy and happy!

I don't know what 2010 will hold for us but I am looking forward to more great surprises and experiences. I don't have any current resolutions except to be the best mom that I know I can be and to love and support my family.

Baby's First Christmas!

Christmas time already! Can you believe that? I sure can't especially because this marks the 9 month mark for my baby girl. Fallon has been in the outside world as long as she was in my womb. It doesn't seem possible that this time has come and it has sure flown by.

Billie came and visited before Christmas and we had a lot of fun. Fallon took to her instantly and enjoyed playing with her and being around her. David and I enjoyed her being here to. We made some funfetti cookies with her cookie press. They came out sooo good. Then we had to see Billie off because she had to get up to their parent's house before the rest of the snow came down in the Tri-Cities area. They got a lot of snow that week.

We headed up north for Christmas on Christmas eve. There wasn't as much traffic as we expected. Fallon didn't enjoy the drive at all. She stayed up and fought sleep the whole way. When we got to David's parents house, Fallon was wide awake and ready to play. She played with everyone for a few hours and then we were able to get her to take a nap. A short one but a nap just the same.

Christmas was exciting. Fallon made out like a bandit with Christmas gifts. It was enjoyable to see the entire family this year. Elizabeth looked fantastic being into her third trimester. She is due at the end of March with their first daughter. So the first round of kids are all girls. Very exciting that they will all be able to grow up together. Here she is all tuckered out from her first Christmas!

Parenting.com Photo Contest

I have entered a photo into the Parenting.com model search. It would be great to win this and show the world how beautiful our baby girl is.

Vote for me in this contest!

Contest details

Snow and Christmas Lights

We had a snow fall today and David and I woke up in time this morning to capture the Christmas lights under the beautiful blanket of white. Cleveland, Tennessee is one of those places that could get snow 5 minutes away but never get snow in the city itself. I guess it's mainly how the mountain ranges are around us.

David was able to also gather up some fresh white snow to make the southern favorite, Snow Creme. I'm hoping for more snow this year so that Fallon can really get into a white Christmas. Watching it snow today made me miss living in Maine. I don't miss the cold so much as I miss the snow. The feet upon feet of snow making everything so brilliant white. Our light show would kick butt up there but we'd have to wait for a foot or two of snow on the ground to be able to put lights on the top of it so that passerby's could actually see the Christmas lights.

Here's some photos of the snow and the Christmas lights.

Our first Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving feels completely different then any one of them that I have ever had and that's because this Thanksgiving...I'm a mom. I couldn't have asked for a better feeling then knowing that I get to start holiday traditions with my family. I may never cook a Thanksgiving meal for quite a few years with this family but hopefully sometime I'll be able to participate more in cooking of the turkey and throw my own Thanksgiving get together in MY house.

This year like all our holidays, we went to David's parent's house in Blountville, Tennessee. It was good to see the family and let Fallon play with her grandparents, aunts, and uncles. She really enjoyed being able to crawl around on a carpeted floor and make distance where our wood floor she has to try that much harder to get anywhere because they are a little slick for her tiny feet.

Fallon got to join us and have her own little Thanksgiving feast. We let her have green beans, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole and cranberry sauce. The sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce were by far her favorites. She has started to eat chunky "mom and dad" foods rather than just her baby stuff and she's really taking to eating that rather then the smooth consistency of Gerber or Beechnut baby food. So we are starting to move on to another milestone and that would be to let her explore her food with her fingers and start to feed herself. I sort of shudder at this thought because I know of the mess that will ensue. But a mess with babies just comes with the territory.

Sleep or the lack there of.

What is sleep? Where did it go? When did my baby become the baby that never sleeps through the night. We were so lucky the first three months of Fallon's life, she spoiled us by sleeping through the night. She has now gotten to the point where she wakes up multiple times a night to eat and to just whine. It has created two zombies in this household. We can't swaddle her like she wants in her crib because she rolls over and doesn't have her arms available to roll herself off of her stomach. Her amby bed is getting too small for her so we're at a crossroads. It's time to teach her to self soothe so that she can put herself back to sleep at night and to be able to sleep unswaddled. We'll try taking the white noise away at a different point when we get everything else fixed. So we have decided to try the Dr. Ferber "Cry it out" method because it teaches self soothing and we've tried all the other methods. She will not sleep in our bed even when we try to let her now so that's out of the running too.

It's so hard to sit and listen to your little one cry. It tears my heart out but she won't even try to crawl without crying because she gets frustrated and knows that if she whines or cries that mommy or daddy will come and pick her up or get the toy that's just out of reach. I feel that this "cry it out" method is what she needs to start gaining some self confidence that she can take that next step and try something new that her body has never done like crawling to the toy that is just out of reach or finding her pacifier in the crib and rolling back over to sleep. (dreaming on that note!)

Fallon did soothe herself to sleep yesterday while she was in her crib and slept for about a half hour. The rest of the day was a nightmare though. We kept trying to put her down for a nap unswaddled and she would cry her little heart out. So we are trying it again today. The drawback of this method is it starts to make me feel like a cold heartless mother to be able to sit here and listen to her cry but I know that she's okay. She's been fed and changed and is completely safe in her crib. If I get really unsure, I turn on the video monitor and know that she's doing just fine. Just to convince my mind and my heart that.

I have a huge support system of other mothers that had babies in March and they are all seeing the same symptoms with the sleep patterns as Fallon and it seems to be revolving around the first teeth! I hope that I can seriously fix this sleeping situation for Fallon's, David's, and my sanity.